Man gives great white shark a helping hand

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Chances of the great white shark surviving into the next century
have received a boost at a conference on endangered species in
Bangkok.

Australian delegate Ian Cresswell said of the great white: "It
is unique. No other species has been subject to such conjecture, so
vilified, so targeted through fear."

Making a case for the predator, Mr Cresswell, head of the
Australian delegation, told the conference of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): "Perhaps for
these reasons the great white shark is so valued throughout the
world for its jaws and teeth; this has driven (it) to the brink of
extinction."

Great white shark populations had declined by 60 per cent in
some areas and 95 per cent in others, Mr Cresswell said.

Australia, with Madagascar, has pushed for the great white
shark's listing on Appendix II of the convention because of its
significant continuing decline in population.

The listing recognises that the world's main marine predator may
become threatened with extinction unless trade is strictly
regulated.

Opposition to the listing was led by Japan, which argued
management of sharks should be the preserve of the Food and
Agriculture Organisation, not CITES.

The debate seemed to swing against the proposal when the FAO
told the meeting there was not enough data to judge whether it met
the criteria for listing or not.

"It is unclear the extent of trade and the extent to which that
trade was driving fishing for white sharks," FAO's Dr Kevern
Cochrane said.

However, the IUCN (World Conservation Union) backed the
proposal, saying the lack of data on the great white was indicative
of its threatened status.

The vote, a secret ballot at Japan's request, was in the end
convincing, with 87 in favour, 34 opposed and nine abstentions.

The shark has been listed as a threatened species since 1996. It
is legally protected in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,
Namibia, the US and Malta, but its migratory range, across the
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans and the Mediterranean
Sea, means protective measures by individual countries are of
limited value.

The shark's vulnerability is increased by its slow growth and
late maturation. It has been targeted for jaws, teeth, fins and
skins as well as for sports fishing.

The upgrading will mean regulation of trade in the species by
each of the 166 CITES signatory countries. People exporting great
white shark products will require approval from a scientific
authority in the country of export that it is not detrimental to
survival of the species.